Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Professional Development Continuing Professional Development (CPD) FAQs for Instructors and Coordinators

Transcription

1 Baltimore County Public Schools Department of Professional Development Continuing Professional Development (CPD) FAQs for Instructors and Coordinators 1. What does CPD stand for? CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. 2. What is the purpose of CPD credits? Continuing Professional Development (CPD) experiences provide opportunities for Maryland educators to earn credits necessary for renewal of certification. In BCPS, credits may also count towards salary advancements. 3. What is the CPD registry? The CPD registry is a listing of all courses approved by MSDE. 4. Who has access to the CPD registry? One designee from each school system has access to the CPD registry. 5. How is the number of CPD credits calculated for a course? The number of CPD credits assigned to each course is based on the number of hours participants are engaged in course activity with the instructor. 15 hours of activity = 1 credit 30 hours of activity = 2 credits 45 hours of activity = 3 credits

2 6. Who can submit a course for CPD credit approval? Courses can be submitted to the BCPS professional development liaison by BCPS coordinators. Requests can be made to the DPD liaison to search the CPD registry to determine if a similar course is already approved by MSDE. If interested, DPD will contact the sponsoring district to see if the course can be shared. 7. Where do I get the documents for planning a new course? The most current planning documents are available at 8. Are there specific guidelines for online courses? The process for writing and submitting online courses is the same as that for face-toface courses. BCPS requires that all online instructors successfully complete the most current online facilitation course offered by the Office of Instructional Technology. 9. What is the course approval process at the system level? The course should be written by the curriculum office and approved by the coordinator and appropriate executive director. It should then be submitted to the DPD liaison for approval of the DPD executive director, chief academic officer, and the superintendent. It will then be submitted to MSDE for review. 10. How long does it take for a course to receive approval and be issued a credit number? Once a course has been processed by BCPS and sent to MSDE, it takes approximately six to eight weeks for approval. 11. How long is an approved course valid? A course is valid for five years.

3 12. How do you know how old a course is? A course is assigned a six-digit number by MSDE. Let s use the number as an example: 11 = indicates the year of approval (2011). 03 = indicates the originating school system (Baltimore County). 15 = indicates the 15 th submission from that school system in the current year. 13. Can a course be renewed? Yes, courses can be renewed one time as long as there are no significant changes. DPD will contact the coordinator when it is time to renew courses. Once a renewal course has been approved by MSDE, it will be assigned a new six-digit number followed by the letter R. 14. Can CPD credit be awarded for courses offered by vendors who work with BCPS? Yes, the curriculum office writes the course following the standard process. BCPS has the rights to the MSDE number. The MSDE number cannot be given to vendors or shared with other districts. 15. How often does BCPS offer CPD courses? BCPS offers CPD courses during the spring, summer, and fall sessions. 16. Who determines what courses will be offered? The BCPS curriculum offices determine which courses are offered based on identified needs. 17. When can CPD courses be offered? CPD courses can be offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays beginning at 4:30 p.m. Select courses are offered online or at alternate times. 18. Who can participate in a CPD course? Current and retired BCPS employees can participate in courses free of charge. Nonemployees can register and participate on a space-available basis for $25 per credit. Some courses may be designated for BCPS employees only.

4 19. How are CPD courses advertised? Courses are advertised through the Weekly Bulletin and posted in the BCPS Online Registration System. 20. How do participants register for a CPD course? Interested participants can register using the BCPS Online Registration System at How do I know who has registered for my course? Please log on to the BCPS Online Registration System, locate your section of the course, and click on Class List. 22. What is the best way to contact the participants in my class? Contact information is provided in the class list in the Online Registration System. You can contact your class by clicking on the Students option for your section. 23. Who enters CPD courses into the BCPS Online Registration System? CPD courses are entered into the PD Cycle by the curriculum office. Once courses are approved by the CPD liaison, they are enabled by the offering manager. For detailed directions, go to Who determines the maximum number of participants per course? The coordinator determines the maximum number of participants per course. 25. Are classes still held if BCPS is closed or closes early for inclement weather? If BCPS is closed or closes early for inclement weather, then classes are canceled. 26. Are classes still held if BCPS closes early for heat-related conditions? If the class is held on a BCPS site and the system closes early for heat-related conditions, CPD classes/meetings are cancelled.

5 27. Are classes still held if BCPS is closed for students but open for staff? Yes, classes will be held as scheduled. 28. What happens if a participant needs to miss a class? Ask your participants to contact you if they need to miss a class. Course participants are permitted to miss one class for a one-credit course, two classes for a two-credit course, or three classes for a three-credit course and still be eligible for credit. 29. What are the necessary credentials for CPD instructors? Current BCPS employee Current resume on file with the sponsoring office Advanced Professional Certificate Master s degree or equivalency Satisfactory job performance rating 30. What is the standard rate of pay for CPD instructors? 1 MSDE credit = $ MSDE credits = $ MSDE credits = $ What is the process for instructor payment? All items on the CPD Instructor Checklist must be completed in order for payment to be processed. This form can be accessed at. 32. Can courses be co-taught? Yes, courses can be co-taught. Co-instructors will each receive an equal share of the total payment. 33. Can instructors receive credit for teaching a CPD course? Yes, instructors can receive CPD credit one time only per course in lieu of payment.

6 34. What is the minimum number of participants needed for a course to run? There must be a minimum of 13 participants for the course to run unless special permission has been granted by the Department of Professional Development prior to the start of class. 35. How can I confirm that everyone who registered plans on attending class? Prior to the first class, all registered participants reminding them of the course dates, times, and location. Ask them to confirm their attendance. If they do not plan to attend, ask them to unregister. 36. What should I do if there are fewer than 13 participants present at the first class meeting? If applicable, contact the people on the waiting list. If you still do not have 13 participants, please contact the coordinator. The course may be canceled. 37. What happens if a participant does not successfully complete the course? If all course requirements are not met, credit will not be issued. Participants must re-register and take the course again. 38. Who signs the credit form? After class has ended the instructor downloads and signs a form for each participant who successfully completed the course. Send the forms along with the other course documents to the coordinator. The coordinator will forward the forms to the CPD liaison for additional processing. 39. How do participants get their completed credit form? Once the Department of Professional Development has processed the forms, a copy will be ed to the Office of Certification and to the participant. The credit form for non-bcps employees will be sent to the participant s home address. This can take four to six weeks. 40. As a result of successfully completing a course, whom do the participants contact about certification, salary lane changes, or certification renewal? Contact the Office of Certification at certunit@bcps.org or

7 41. What do I need to do before and at the first class meeting? Refer to the CPD Instructor Timeline which can be found at 42. What do I need to do at the second class meeting? Refer to the CPD Instructor Timeline which can be found at 43. What do I need to do at the last class meeting? Refer to the CPD Instructor Timeline which can be found at 44. Now that class is over, what do I need to do? Please refer to the CPD Instructor Checklist which can be found at